How to write your CV after being laid off or made redundant

Keep the job on your CV with its real end date and results. Add at most one line naming the business reason, such as a restructure. Prepare a three-sentence interview answer: what happened, what you did since, why this job.1

Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides

Fix the end date before anything else

The first edit after a layoff is the date. Write the month and year your employment actually ended, which is not always the day you were told. A wrong end date is the one detail a reference check or a background check will catch.

Your situation (UK rules)	End date to write
You work your notice period	The last day of the notice period
You are paid in lieu of notice (PILON)	The day your employer ended the contract; GOV.UK says employment can end without notice when PILON applies
You are still serving notice while you apply	'to present', or the confirmed leaving month
You took voluntary redundancy	The leaving date in your settlement or letter, the same as any other redundancy

Statutory notice in the UK

GOV.UK sets the statutory redundancy notice at least at one week if you were employed between one month and two years, one week for each year between two and twelve years, and twelve weeks after twelve years or more. Your contract can give more but not less. If you are applying while on notice, these weeks are your planning window.

Laid off, redundant, fired: use the right word

Acas describes redundancy as a dismissal because a role is no longer needed, and says that if the main reason is your performance or conduct, it is not redundancy. 'Laid off' is the usual US term for the same business decision. The University of Denver's career office is blunt: never describe a firing as a layoff. Use the word that matches your letter.

Whether to write the reason on the CV

Here the UK and US advice differs, and both are reasonable. The National Careers Service suggests updating the CV with the reason your employer made you redundant, such as a restructure due to budget cuts, so it is clear there was nothing wrong with your performance. Its example line names the period and the business decision.

The University of Denver's career office, republishing an article from The Muse, takes the other view for US resumes: generally leave the layoff off, mention it in a cover letter only if it left a gap, and explain it at interview if asked.

Where	UK CV (National Careers Service)	US resume (University of Denver career office)
On the CV or resume	One line naming the business reason	Usually nothing; dates only
Cover letter	Can repeat it so the employer sees it	Only if there is a noticeable gap
Interview	Explain the situation, be positive, say how you responded	Answer if asked: reason, what you did since, enthusiasm for the role

Reason lines that work

Role made redundant when the company closed its Bristol office, March 2026.
Position eliminated in a restructure that removed the regional marketing team.
Left under voluntary redundancy during a 2025 cost-reduction programme.
Site closure; all 140 roles ended in June 2026.

What stays out

Blame, feelings about the decision, the severance terms and any settlement figures. The line exists only to stop the reader guessing; once it has done that, the rest of the entry should be about your results.

Worked example: one redundancy, three documents

Example only. Daniel Reyes is an invented person, the employer is described rather than named, and every number is made up.

UK CV entry with the reason line

Marketing manager, software company, Bristol · May 2021 to March 2026
Role made redundant when the company closed its UK office and moved marketing to the US.
Grew qualified leads from 300 to 520 a quarter in two years by rebuilding the webinar programme.
Managed a budget of £400,000 and a team of three; two were promoted during that time.

US resume entry without it

Marketing Manager, software company, Bristol, UK · 05/2021 to 03/2026
Grew qualified leads 73% in two years (300 to 520 per quarter) by rebuilding the webinar program.
Managed a $500K budget and a team of three; two direct reports promoted.

Cover letter sentence, if the search runs past a few months

'My role ended in March 2026 when the company closed its UK office; since then I have completed a Google Analytics certification and run campaigns for a local charity, and I am applying to you because…' One sentence of context, then straight to the job.

Why each choice was made

Choice	Reason
Real end month	Matches references and background checks
Business reason in eleven words	Answers the question before it is asked, without detail
Results kept in full	The work happened; the layoff does not erase it
No reason line on the US version	Follows the University of Denver advice for US resumes

The interview answer in three sentences

The National Careers Service's advice for someone made redundant is to explain the situation, be positive and describe how you have responded since. The University of Denver piece frames the answer around why the layoff happened, what you did afterwards and your enthusiasm for the next role. Both fit into three sentences.

What happened, in business terms: 'The company closed its UK office in March and my role went with it.'
What you did since: 'I used the time to finish an analytics certification and ran two campaigns for a local charity.'
Why this job: 'Your team's move into events is exactly the work I built at my last company, which is why I applied.'

What to avoid saying

Criticism of the former employer or the people who made the decision.
A long account of the process, the consultation or the severance.
Anything that suggests it was secretly about you, when it was not.
Calling a dismissal for conduct or performance a layoff.

If you were dismissed rather than laid off

The National Careers Service suggests raising a dismissal at interview rather than on the application, and explaining the circumstances, what you learned and how you have improved since. That is a different conversation from a redundancy, and it is not covered further here.

Use the notice period well

GOV.UK lists time off to look for a new job among the things you may be eligible for when you are being made redundant. The National Careers Service treats the period as a chance to identify your skills, learn a new one or change career, and points to free courses and Skills Bootcamps.

Update the CV while the details and figures are still fresh, before you lose access to work systems.
Ask your manager for a reference now, while they are still in post.
Collect proof of results you may want later, such as published reports or public figures, without taking anything confidential.
If you are thinking about a different field, the career change CV guide covers the hybrid layout.

Sources and the date they were read

All pages were read on 13 October 2026. Employment rights change; check the linked pages for your own case.

National Careers Service, How to explain gaps in your work history: outline the business decision, with an example line; dismissals are better explained at interview.
National Careers Service, Redundancy and dealing with losing your job: add the reason to your CV and cover letter; retrain or upskill.
National Careers Service, How to answer common interview questions: if made redundant, explain, be positive, describe how you responded.
GOV.UK, Redundancy: your rights, notice periods and payment in lieu of notice; Acas, When redundancy can happen.
University of Denver Career and Professional Development, How to talk about a layoff in an interview (republished from The Muse, May 2025).
Prospects, How to write a CV: briefly mention the reason for a gap, including redundancy, with dates.

Where this guide stops

This is CV and interview advice, not legal advice. If you think you were unfairly selected, or your notice or redundancy pay looks wrong, GOV.UK points to Acas and Citizens Advice in the UK. Rules elsewhere differ, and the Turkish version of this page covers notice and severance under the İş Kanunu.

Next steps

Decide on the UK or US convention for the reason line, depending on where you apply.
Rewrite the profile so it points at the next job, not the last one.
Practise the three-sentence answer aloud until it takes under 30 seconds.
CitedCV writes the CV from the facts you enter, including your own wording for the end of a role, and asks when a date or figure is missing.

Questions people ask

Should I put redundancy on my CV?

In the UK, a single line naming the business reason is what the National Careers Service suggests. US career advisers usually leave it off the resume itself.

What end date do I put on my CV after being laid off?

The month your employment actually ended: the last day of notice if you worked it, or the termination date if you were paid in lieu of notice.

How do I explain being laid off in an interview?

In three sentences: the business reason, what you have done since, and why you want this job. Keep it neutral and short.

Can I still list achievements from the job I was laid off from?

Yes. The results happened and stay on the CV in full; the National Careers Service says you can still include the skills and experience you gained in the role.

Is being laid off the same as being fired?

No. Acas says redundancy is when a role is no longer needed; if the main reason is performance or conduct, it is not redundancy.

Do I mention a layoff in my cover letter?

Only briefly, and mainly if it left a gap. One sentence of context, then move on to why you fit the role.

How do I explain a gap after a layoff?

Name the redundancy with dates and list what you did in the time, such as courses, freelance work or volunteering, as Prospects suggests for any gap.

Sources

National Careers Service, How to explain gaps in your work historynationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/explain-gaps-in-work-history/
National Careers Service, Redundancy and dealing with losing your jobnationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/advice-for-if-you-lose-your-job
National Careers Service, How to answer common interview questionsnationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/top-10-interview-questions
GOV.UK, Redundancy: your rights, notice periodswww.gov.uk/redundancy-your-rights/notice-periods
GOV.UK, Redundancy: your rightswww.gov.uk/redundancy-your-rights
Acas, When redundancy can happenwww.acas.org.uk/your-rights-during-redundancy
University of Denver Career and Professional Development, How to talk about a layoff in an interviewcareer.du.edu/blog/2025/05/20/how-to-talk-about-a-layoff-in-an-interview-with-examples/
Prospects, How to write a CVwww.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cv